The NFL of American football now has a second free-to-air broadcast home in France thanks to a three-season deal M6 signed. With the start of the 2023 season, the commercial broadcaster will take over as the French free-to-air rights holder from L’Équipe, bringing NFL action back to M6. The M6-owned W9 station broadcast live Super Bowl programming from 2010 through 2018.
M6 disclosed its goals in sports this Wednesday, July 5, at a conference where the programs for the upcoming season were presented. In recent weeks, the organization has differentiated itself by offering half of the Women’s Football World Cup, televised alongside the public service organization, and a portion of the Rugby World Cup, which will be held in France.
The NFL is attempting to increase its presence in Europe after successfully holding a regular season game in Germany last year. According to Brett Gosper, NFL’s head of UK and Europe, the league is eager to repeat this success in France.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 21-16 in front of a sold-out crowd of 69,811 at Allianz Arena, home of German soccer champions FC Bayern Munich. Up until the 2025 season, the league has promised to hold at least three more matches there.
German broadcaster ProSieben generated a record 2.7 million viewers, making it the most-watched NFL regular season game ever in the country. DAZN Germany, meanwhile, said the game was the second most-watched NFL broadcast on its streaming platform after the Super Bowl.
Fanatics, the NFL’s official e-commerce partner and exclusive event retail operator in Europe, said gameday merchandise sales at Allianz Arena broke records for an NFL game outside the US.
